Open Thread: When Do You Say When?
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“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
~Leonardo da Vinci
Chantal, the blogger behind Writer Abroad, raised an interesting point yesterday: how do you know when you’re done writing something? As Chantal points out, math problems have a clear end point. So do soccer games (or futbol games, depending on where you are in the world) or jigsaw puzzles. But like a work of art, a piece of writing is trickier.
It’s tough to know when to call it quits, especially when it’s a piece of writing that’s deeply personal. I tend not to have this problem with more mercenary-style writing. I know the client or the editor may rewrite significant portions of my carefully crafted copy, so it’s not worth obsessing over. I’ll let it marinate for a day or two, give it another read for spelling, grammar, style, and clarity, and send it out into the world, trying not to get too emotionally attached.
But with personal essays or memoirs, it can feel like a never-ending cycle of writing, critiquing, and rewriting. I don’t have a good answer for Chantal (or myself), but I think letting your work marinate and returning to it later can bring greater clarity and insight. But there’s also the need to get it out there and trust that your instincts are right. As one of my favorite writing quotes goes, “don’t get it right, get it written.”
What do you think, fellow writers? How do you know when to say when with your writing?
Flickr photo courtesy of Storm Crypt
I know it's done when it feels done. You're right – it's tough to have a good answer for this one. But in my excperience, it's done when you've said what you want to say and adding any more would dilute the message.
I needed to read this today. Last night, I pushed away from a chapter I'm working on that feels never ending. I'm trying to trust my instincts and let rewrite direction not consume me. It's difficult.
I get a strong feeling in my gut that everything is hitting on the right cylinders. Even if my brain says, "No, that's not quite right," once it feels right in my gut I know it's okay to send out.
just read it. thanks for the information about research paper.
One of my writing teachers likes to say, "An essay is never done, it's abandoned." (I think the original quote is something like an artist's work is never done…) Anyway, I always thought that was funny. And true!
That's a very good question. For me, it's hard to finish WIPs simply because I tend to only write when I'm inspired (very bad habit). But when I do actually finish something, I tend to edit over and over again and indeed it is difficult to finally say: I'M DONE WITH YOU!
A possible idea is to have your agent or a sibling/trusted friend look over your current outline of the book and see if it seems good enough to finally be complete or if it still needs a bit tweaking here and there. At the same time, everybody has their own opinions and tastes, so mainly it's best to get a couple opinions and then listen to your gut.
~TRA
http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com
Like many of the other comments, "when" is a gut instinct that comes after a heady moment of euphoric (or sometimes vindictive if that piece/chapter/poem/etc. has been giving you trouble) culmination of a singular sentence. You may look at it and intellectually think, "Hmmm, that's not quite right," but your instinct kicks in, kicks your brain out, and says, "Done! Booyah!"
Sometimes I feel as if I am simply putting down words that my brain is dictating, and usually they do not need editing. At other times, I struggle to express what I want to say, and then, yes, go back in to edit until I get it just right. I can remember my first writing assignments. Good editors, bad editors and the frustration of having perfectly worded pieces disfigured …and so stopped doing that kind of writing.
When I get bored with it.
No, actually, I'm a novelist. I start by killing myself over characters, conflict, and chapter one. Then I fly through the rest of the writing, and when all the BS I've set into motion pretty much resolves itself, I'm done.
What I have learned from Shakespeare has been reinforced by other greats like Lu Xun and Kurt Vonnegut. You hit your mark and you move on.